


The Assassin

by sushiloveswhitlock



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-06
Updated: 2012-06-05
Packaged: 2017-11-07 00:44:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/425053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushiloveswhitlock/pseuds/sushiloveswhitlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jasper Whitlock discovered a unique way of embracing his predatory nature while living in a human world. Meet Jasper Whitlock - Vampire Assassin for Hire</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally submitted for Fandom for Texas this past fall as a Jasper-centric 3-shot. 
> 
> AlexisDanaan was my awesome beta for this story. 
> 
> RPFanGirl originally thought of this idea and I just sort of put my spin on it. Thanks hun for pre-reading.
> 
> DarkNNerdy helped to preread this story as well. 
> 
> I don’t own the characters, that belongs to SM. I did however create the story. 
> 
> WARNING - strong language and violence.

 

**Introduction:**

 

 

My name is Jasper Whitlock. You don’t see me because I’m a predator; the ultimate hunter, a vampire. I’m no ordinary vampire though. To take me as such would be a mistake, but you wouldn’t be alone in that. You see, I have a talent, a gift some would say, that allows me to feel and manipulate emotions and I am pretty damn good at it. 

 

I was born into this life nearly a century and a half ago; created to become a killing machine and I didn’t disappoint. Destruction was my middle name back then and I was good at it, but with the good comes the bad and it hit me hard. The fucked up emotions from all that death took its toll on me and eventually, it broke me.

 

My brother saved me from the endless war and battles. With his intervention, I ended up seeking a life of peace. For a while, I thought I had found all that I needed but that lifestyle  turned out to be a place holder, it wasn’t enough and I required more. I walked away and found a new place in life.

 

My name is Jasper Whitlock and I am a vampire assassin for hire. This is my story.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

**Chapter 1**

 

 

“Peter, come up to the bar a quick sec,” I said in a tone too low and too fast for the bar patrons to hear.

 

I slid a couple bottles of beer down the sleek bar table to the women who were sitting over to my far left and gave them a wink as I heard them yell out their thanks.

 

Peter muscled his way over just as I finished making a couple Irish Car Bombs for table 6.

 

“Yeah, what’s up?” Peter asked quietly.

 

I leaned over and replied, “The girl in the pink top with the tequila shots? She just told me her story about some fucked up relationship. It might be an opportunity given her emotions but I’m not sure yet. The two times you’ve walked by, she’s eyed you.” To the humans around us, it just looked like my brother and I were taking a break to chat and enjoy the band got on stage.

 

“The blonde? She does look a little upset, I guess I ought lay on the Whitlock charm on her,” he said and puffed his chest out.

 

I punched his shoulder and laughed. “Her lust level just spiked when you came up here. But don’t forget, you have the assignment tonight outside Denver. Plane’s ready when you are.”

 

“I’ve been looking forward to it for days. You sure you don’t want in on this one?”

 

“Nah, I’ve got a good one over by Lake Travis. A nurse abusing her patients and to make things worse, she robs them too. The family that hired me have proof but she’s related to some high-priced lawyer or something so she’s practically untouchable, hell, they can’t even take her damn nursing license away. They’ve dismissed her but she’s found a way to continue to siphon money from all their accounts. It is a cool fifty grand to make her disappear,” I replied and and went back to pouring some drinks.

 

“Fuck yeah, this is a good month. With the human trafficking ring out in Denver tonight, we’ll have made a hundred grand this week alone and that doesn’t count the rest of the month that’s been booked. Even if I give G a cut for his work tonight, that is still a nice chunk of change.”

 

“Yep, at this rate, this might be our best month yet.” I looked up at the bar patrons and made my way back to serving drinks. “Go talk to her, man.”

 

I watched as he went over to the girl and they started to chat for a bit as he took his ‘break’ from being the bouncer.

 

I snapped back to attention as more patrons and waitresses placed drink orders just as the lights dimmed further and the band started to really rock out. It was a typical Saturday night here at Zombie, the club that I co-own with my brother, Peter. It served as a nice front for our other business, something we decided to come up with a few years ago, after I left the Cullens.

 

I started having second thoughts about staying with them after Edward, the king of angst, broke up with his human girlfriend because of an unfortunate incident two weeks after prom when she cut her finger on the cardboard of a frozen meal she was opening up. He lost control since she was his singer and had cornered her in the dining room. When I tried to pull him away from her, we ended up wrestling, colliding into the glass sliding doors. The impact rained shards all over the damn place and she was caught in it. The guilt and shame from that incident nearly had me on my knees that evening after she was stitched up and taken home. I was blamed for provoking him because I was weak. Since I had slipped a few times during my time with them, nobody truly believed me when I said I was trying to save her.

 

He dumped her the next day and we left that night for Alaska because it was fairly remote and considered safe for us. I knew they mostly meant that comment for me but I went along with it because it meant I didn’t have to play a human role and go back to school. I was only there for a few more months before I left them.

 

I thought back to the months we were there gave me time to think and it wasn’t until I was relaxing out on the balcony admiring the aurora borealis one late autumn night, when Alice pranced into my line of sight and interrupted my quiet reverie. I tried not to roll my eyes when she started to talk about her recent shopping excursion, having just come back from Europe. It was then that I realized I was bored and had gotten too complacent. I needed more out of life and by more I didn’t mean just playing high-school or maybe the occasional college semester or two. No, I was restless and I needed a change.

 

I had simply looked at her with indifference before I walked back inside to pack a small bag of clothes. I was done with her, the family and this type of lifestyle. I simply walked out without saying a word or looking at her, much to her astonishment - I don’t think she saw that in her vision. I ran towards Fairbanks and when I got there, I had my private plane ready and took off towards Texas. On my way, I quickly phoned my attorney to have my accounts consolidated and instructed him to send new identification for Jasper Whitlock over to a post office box located in Buda, Texas. Just as I got to the Colorado Rockies, I shrugged on my parachute and jumped out. That plane carrying Jasper Hale crashed on the side of Longs Peak and exploded in a giant fireball. It took me a couple days and a plethora of various animals before I reached Dripping Springs,Texas where Peter had a ranch house when he wasn’t training guards for the Volturi, his vacation home, if you will.

 

Together we set out for Italy and through his help, I reverted back to my natural diet but adopted his variation and only hunted criminals. For the next couple of years, we trained the Volturi guards using all the knowledge we had gained from fighting in the Southern Vampire Wars. It was there, over a night of playing poker with some of the guards that the idea for our new line of work came about.

 

We were in the middle of one of our epic rounds, with chips piled high and some car keys thrown into the pot that someone turned on the TV and the movie ‘Wanted’ came on. Demetri joked how we’d make the perfect assassins for hire and how it would be a win-win for all parties involved. The idea stuck and after talking to our leaders and making sure it was something that wouldn’t violate our laws, Peter and I flew back to Texas and opened up Zombie in nearby Austin.

 

The bar allowed us to seek out our potential clients. I usually played the role of the bartender though most people by now knew that Peter and I were owners of the club, since it was one of the hottest places to be seen at in downtown. We had bands clamoring to to play in our club and there always seemed to be a line out the door. Yes, Zombie was a great place to hang out for both humans and vampires alike. The dimly lit bar helped hide our crimson eyes and was conveniently located near some areas that were frequented by vagrants. It was known in the vampire world that we were honorary members of the Volturi and because of that, when our kind came to visit, they were given specific rules to adhere to while in our territory.

 

By now, any notion that I was a weak link or an uncontrollable vampire that I got from the Cullens were long gone and my self-doubt eradicated. I interacted constantly with humans in an environment that was always heavily laden with different emotions. A lessor vampire would have buckled under the weight of the lust alone. Control was no longer an issue with me since being back on the human diet actually helped me with it. Most of our staff were humans save for Peter and me. An associate of ours, Garrett, was known to stop by on occasion if we needed an extra hand at the club or on an assignment. 

 

By being the trust worthy bartender, and it didn’t hurt that I was sometimes heavy handed with my pours, I was able to glean information from those who needed a little help in ridding themselves of someone. That in turn, provided us with a meal. The kicker was we got paid for draining those fuckers with a small percentage going to the Volturi. We got paid to feed, what more could a vampire want?

 

I was glad that I was able to multi-task as I reflected back on my past. I looked around the bar and noticed that everybody had drinks, the band was hot, and every one seemed to be enjoying themselves for the most part.

 

I looked over at the tequila girl and by now she was a little more drunk. I sent her a glass of water and she motioned me over to her.

 

“So, your brother, is he involved?” she slurred out, her eyes slightly glazed over from the Patron.

 

“No ma’am, his wife left him a few years ago and he’s just now gettin’ over it,” I drawled out, letting the accent and my low dose of trust envelop her. Hopefully it would get her to open up to us. 

 

It wasn’t entirely true, Charlotte didn’t really leave. She was unfortunately destroyed by my creator, Maria. It left my brother sad and angry for a while but then he realized that because he didn’t feel like following after Char and destroying himself, that perhaps their bond wasn’t as strong as he had always thought it was. It was because of that cunt that Peter ended up going to Volterra and offering his services to the kings. By training the Volturi guards, they in turn offered him protection and helped him seek her out. They didn’t find her until the year I showed up with him and together we tore her apart, piece by piece and watched as we burned her fucking body to ashes.

 

“Oh, I am so sorry to hear that, as I told you, I was just in a bad relationship too,” she said with a sad smile.

 

I took a towel and started to wipe down the bar. “Peter, she’s askin’ about you man,” I said, once again in vampire speed.

 

“On my way, bro,” he replied and grinned.

 

A few minutes later, he came sauntering over and got behind the bar with me. Usually at this time of night we were both seen at the bar so it wasn’t a surprise as he leaned over and started to chat up with the girl.

 

The band played a couple more encores before Peter walked the girl, Katie, over to an empty table and promised her that they could talk more after the mass exodus from the crowd. As soon as the stage lights went back on, the crowd started to leave, many still singing songs from the band.

 

Peter was now chatting with Katie as I set some glasses and bottles of whiskey up for the band who were taking taking a break from dissembling their equipment. It was a good night for business, on all fronts. I had been sending Katie trusting vibes as she spoke to Peter and confided her woes. The man she had been dating cheated on her and she was pissed off beyond anything. She kept talking about kicking his ass but it just didn’t seem to be enough for us to actually step in. Peter sent me a hand signal indicating that he needed a cab ordered and when it arrived, he walked her out of the club telling her he had to leave town tonight for business. He teased Katie saying that if she ever wanted him to kick that man’s ass for her, to come by and he would. That comment usually ended in one of two ways, they came back and were serious, or they’d come back lookin’ for some fun on the side and being bachelors, who were we to deny them?

 

A half hour later, I received a text from Peter, ‘ _Heading to Denver, already let G know. Might have a small local job next weekend, poss. 5K._ ’

 

I smirked when I saw the message. Normally we started our rates at ten grand but sometimes, we’d charge on a sliding scale. I sent him back a message, ‘ _5K? Is it Katie?_ ’

 

_‘Nope, flight attendant we hired for the flight. I’ll get deets and let you know.’_

 

I chuckled to myself as I wiped down the bar and was putting some of the glasses into the sanitizer when I heard the sound of cowboy boots on the concrete floor and a familiar scent wafted into the air. I looked up as I saw the chocolate brown hair and her nails drumming onto the bar table. The movement drew my attention to her fingers and, more importantly, to what appeared to be a tan line where a ring once adorned her left hand.

 

She was looking around the bar and hadn’t seen me just yet.

 

“What’ll it be?” I drawled out.

 

“Basil Hayden, neat please,” she said, her familiar soft voice bringing back some distant memories.

 

I turned to reach for the bottle, facing away from her and felt a spark of lust coming off of her. I chuckled, it was a normal occurrence, but coming from her it made me a little curious. I reached out with my gift and couldn’t help but notice that there was a hint of sadness buried in her and some deep seated anger as well.

 

I set the glass down and made a show of pouring the bourbon into the glass.

 

“Here you go, darlin’,” I said and added “on the house.”

 

I looked at her as she looked at the glass and then slowly looked up at me, “Thank you... shit! Jasper?” Her eyes widened with shock as her eyes finally reached mine.

 

“At your service ma’am,” I replied and grinned.

 

She grabbed her bourbon and swirled it around her glass before taking a drink. She looked at me and then looked at the bar and leaned towards me, the scent of bourbon filled my senses. This wasn’t her first drink of the night, Bella was already a little tipsy.

 

“Jasper,” she whispered, “you own this bar? But you’re a human drinker.”

 

Thankfully, she was in the right frame of mind not to say that too loud so I was the one who actually heard her.

 

“I am and I do,” I said and leaned closer to her. “I’m not the same Jasper you knew back then. I am more in control of me and my life.”

 

She looked at me with curiosity and suspicion. “They aren’t here, are they?”

 

“Who? The Cullens?” She nodded.

 

As she drank her bourbon, I could almost feel her eyes boring into me along with slight hints of lust but what intrigued me the most was that despite her shock at seeing me, she wasn’t afraid. I put the shock down to the fact that she probably she wasn’t used to seeing me like this. I was wearing a pair of Levis and a tight t-shirt with the bar’s logo on it. It was what I normally wore these days now that I didn’t have to look like a goddamn preppy kid.

 

“So you run this bar with your brother who happens to be Peter?” she asked all of a sudden breaking the silence between us as I got some more drink orders filled.

 

“Yep, how did you know?”

 

“I saw it in an article at the hotel I’m staying at. I thought you were Hale,” she said and whispered the last part. “The article had you two in cowboy hats so I couldn’t quite see your faces.”

 

I leaned over the bar, my lips close to her ear. “Whitlock’s my human name, I took it back when I left them and I keep my face hidden because well...” I shrugged and gave her a wink. 

 

She looked up at me and nodded. “Yeah, I guess the dim lights help.”

 

“They do, I’m surprised you saw them right away,” I said quietly.

 

I watched as she touched the scar on her wrist. “Well, I sort of had some knowledge, you know.”

 

“Yeah, I suppose you do,” I said with a small laugh. “Hey, I am about to do last call, do you have plans? Can you stay for a bit?” I sincerely hoped she’d say yes. As much as I wanted to leave the majority of my past behind me, she had always fascinated me. That had not, apparently, diminished with time because I couldn’t stop wondering why there was an emptiness in her eyes. It might have been five years since I had last seen her but her eyes looked like they might have aged twenty.

 

“For a bit, my hotel is down the street. I just don’t want to be out too late,” she said and I felt a bit of her trepidation.

 

“Thank you, hang on a sec,” I said and walked to the register and pressed a button. All of a sudden, a series of red lights flashed and I announced to the folks that it was last call. It was Peter’s idea to make the PA system feel like a zombie movie set so he thought flashing lights to announce last call was a fun idea and it caught on.

 

“When you said you left, did you mean everybody?” she asked as I returned my attention to her.

 

I nodded watching her intently. “Jasper Hale died in a plane crash,” I said softly, loud enough so only she could hear. “She is a fairly rich widow these days, I’d imagine,” I said and chuckled darkly.

 

“I wish I could do something like that,” she muttered to her glass. I don’t think she meant for me to hear that.

 

“How long are you in town for?” I asked knowing that I didn’t have too long to chat with her. No doubt she’d need some sleep eventually and I still had to feed.

 

“I had a job interview yesterday and I’m sticking around through the weekend to maybe receive an offer and then look for a place to live,” she said. “I’m trying to move out here. New start and all.” She shrugged as she mentioned the last part while staring at her glass.

 

“Well good luck, Austin is a great town, good for new beginnings,” I said and looked at her once more. “Bella, you can talk to me if you’d like. I hear all sorts of things in this line of work.” I quickly thought back to some of the things I heard as a bartender and there were nights when I wished I was the bouncer or something.

 

I looked at my staff and called cabs for a few of the patrons that seemed too inebriated to drive and before long, it was just the two of us in the bar as I thanked the wait staff for a great evening.

 

She gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she reached for my hands and gave them a squeeze. “Thank you, I might just do that but maybe not here.”

 

I stared dumbly at our hands for a brief second and then looked back at her wondering why she was so comfortable around me. I knew what everybody had said about me, that I lacked control, but she wasn’t afraid. “Um Bella? I’m sort of at a loss. We barely know each other other than when I had to take you to Phoenix and then after that, I am sure you think I played a role in your subsequent break up.”

 

“Did he not give you the note?” she whispered and I shook my head, looking at her with confusion. “I didn’t blame you. I never did.”

 

I was a little bit shocked that someone who was loosely associated with the Cullens wouldn’t put blame on me, but then I remembered she was always a person who truly cared about others so it really came as no surprise. “No, all I got was grief for that and it was one of the factors that lead to my leavin’ them.” I sent her some of my appreciation for believing in me.

 

“That stupid sparkling cunt,” she said with a growl. “Oops, sorry.”

 

I was momentarily shocked by her words but after a second I burst into laughter. “Yeah, that motherfucker never gave me any note, Bella.”

 

“I asked him to deliver it to you but, clearly,” she sighed, “he didn’t.” She looked at me and squeezed my hand once again. “Look, I am sorry if you were led to believe that I blamed you, because I never did. I was clumsy back then and I know you were trying to pull him away from me. I guess the emotions got too much for you to handle.

 

“Well, thank you, and I must say, you’re a sight for sore eyes, Ms. Swan,” I said and waited to see if I’d get a reaction from her.

 

She blushed at my words and it added a couple more shades of red to her already alcohol flushed face. She smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s Bella Andrews now, at least for the time being,” she muttered. “Are you busy tomorrow? Maybe we can meet up and talk? If you live here and if I’m going to, maybe we could...” she said and then shook her head. “I just... maybe we could talk?”

 

I could feel her desperation and anxiety. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she wanted someone to talk to and I had many years experience in interpreting the emotions of those around me. Despite the fact that my diet choice had momentarily thrown her, I could tell that she wanted or even needed a friend.

 

“Sure. Here,” I leaned over and spoke softly in her ear as the noise from the bar rose as a huge group passed by us. I took a card out. “My number. Call me, I have a condo over in the Austonian.”

 

“Alright, I don’t know what that means but sure,” she slurred and giggled. 

 

“Ms. Bella, as your bartender, I feel that I need to cut you off of the booze tonight,” I teased and winked at her. “Do you need a cab or did you drive?”

 

“I walked and I think I can get back to the Omni from here.” She got up from the bar stool and swayed a little.

 

“Whoa there,” I said as I leaped over the bar and held her steady, thankful that the bar was empty. “The Omni? I can drop you off if you’d like.”

 

“Sure? I don’t want to be a burden,” she said and grimaced. Disgust washed over her when she mentioned that word and then it quickly dissipated.

 

“Let me tidy things up here and we can be on our way,” I replied as I led her to a nearby table. “Sit here and I’ll be back.”

 

Ten minutes later, the bar was cleaned, the money was put away and everything was locked up. I helped her to her feet and led her towards the back. I set the alarm and together, we walked over to my truck where I had to lift her into it as she started to sway even more when the night air hit her.

 

By the time I got her to the hotel, she was singing loudly to the radio. I ended up walking her to her room as her staggering gait to the elevator was less than reassuring. This was Bella, after all. I was able to get her to her room and watched with amusement as she tried to get the keycard to work. After the third time, she was able to get in and just before I left, I handed her a couple small packets.

 

“Ibuprofen, there is a stash at the club. Take some before you sleep and when you wake up. Drink lots of water too. It is friendly advice from your neighborhood bartender,” I explained.

 

“Thanks Jasper, I’ll call you in the morning,” she said and yawned.

 

“Sounds like a plan, Ms. Bella,” I said and walked away.

 

Once I got back into the truck, I headed out towards my meal. If my timing was correct, by the time I got there, she would be leaving her neighborhood convenience store with her tepid coffee and a donut on her way home after a late night shift. I watched in the shadows as she paid for her stuff then hopped into her car. I quickly followed her a couple blocks before I blurred over to her house, hiding behind a tree that was near her garage door and slipped in just as she shut the door. She grabbed a couple large duffel bags from the back and dragged them into the house before I sent her a huge dose of lethargy and knocked her ass out. The house reeked of cat piss and was full of what was possibly stolen goods from her patients. I went around the house to see what I could come up with in terms of a crime scene.

 

I came up with a plan and set it into motion. I poured some booze into a glass and then took her outside to the pool area. I drained her until I could no longer taste my venom in her bloodstream so that she was basically brain dead and stuck her in the pool so her lungs filled with water before I took a couple more pulls of blood. I then grabbed the glass and set her hand in it so that her prints were on it. I had left just enough blood in her that would stain the pool red when I dropped her body onto the pool deck, snapping her neck and leaving a gash on her head. It looked as though she had gotten drunk and then slipped, knocking her head on the pool deck and drowned. I reached into my jacket pocket and grabbed a couple bags of O-Negative blood and poured it into the pool so it was the right color. The scene would not indicate any foul play so there wouldn’t be much in terms of forensics done but there was just enough blood in the pool that nothing looked too suspicious.

 

I sent a text to Peter to let him know that my job was done and the scene was set. He replied a few minutes later letting me know that he had just arrived in Denver and Garrett had picked him up and they were on their way.

 

When I got into the truck, I dialed up his number and headed back to my apartment in town.

 

“Jasper! So was the nurse hot?” Peter asked with a chuckle.

 

“Nah, she was gross, she had a mustache, dude,” I replied with a shudder. “Her fuckin’ house reeked of cat piss. Oh, she had a ton of stolen goods too.”

 

“Oh, what did you do this time around?”

 

“Boozed it up and slipped in the pool.”

 

“Creative. We’re planning on Operation Fuck’em and Suck’em,” he said and then the sounds of laughter filled my ears.

 

“Just make sure you rescue the girls. You know the drill,” I said and hung up as I headed back to my condo.

 

As I got into the elevator and pressed the button to the 54th floor, I couldn’t help but smile at the day I had. It was a great night at the club, it seemed that tonight’s band had lots of potential and I was more than happy to get them booked for New Year’s Eve.

 

I tossed my keys on the credenza and poured out some whiskey before walking to the north balcony. I took a sniff of the glass, enjoying the scent of it and looked at soft glow coming from the capitol building. Who would have thought that Bella Swan, no, Bella Andrews was here in Texas and that she would walk into my bar tonight? She wasn’t even scared after realizing my eyes blazed crimson. I always thought her pretty but after seeing her tonight, I had to change that; she was beautiful. I knew I probably shouldn’t, but I wanted to find out why she was so sad and angry. I sensed a bad ending to a relationship but that wasn’t all of it, there was more. Maybe it was something that my particular brand of skills could fix and we’d both benefit. Whatever the case, I was looking forward to seeing her in the morning.

 

I went back inside and headed into my home office to schedule the automated text message to send to my client letting them know the job was done. Normally they would send their final payment at that point but these folks paid upfront which was a rarity but welcomed. We also gained a couple more clients as money was wired into some secret accounts and I set up a schedule for next missions.

 

I took another sniff of the glass and watched the amber liquid as I swirled it around and thought about our growing side project. Who would have thought a simple whim would have become such a lucrative business? It had become so popular that Peter and I were booked with meals for the next few months. Of course, there were a few jobs that required extra help, like Peter’s assignment tonight. I was glad that Garrett was always willing to help out.

 

I set the glass down as the sky started to lighten and walked in to grab a hot shower. When I got out, I got a voice mail from Bella and in a pained, raspy voice, she said she would be ready in an hour if I still wanted to hang out with her. I decided that, since she was probably hung over, I should just send her a text message and tell her that I’d come by and we could walk on over to my place. A few minutes later I received a message back from her saying she’d like that.

 

I got dressed and headed into the kitchen and switched on the coffee maker. The aroma of coffee and the scent of alcohol were the only two human food items I could tolerate and I frequently brewed a pot just so I could enjoy the smell. I even hung out at the local Starbucks a few blocks over for the same reason but sometimes the smell of steamed milk ruined it for me. As I stepped into the elevator, I found myself kind of excited, I looking forward to spending some time with an old friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 

I slipped my mirrored sunglasses on and headed up Congress Avenue towards the Omni that was off of 7th Street. It was an overcast morning so I didn’t need to bother with a ball cap to hide my sparkly skin. I knew later, once the low clouds had a chance to burn off, it would be a warm sunny day.

 

I got to the hotel and sent Bella a quick text letting her know I was at the lobby and she replied shortly that she was on her way. I stood in the atrium area, watching the glass elevators descend, and spotted her almost right away.

 

By the time the elevator door opened, I was there waiting for her and was surprised that she greeted me with a small hug. I held out my arm as an invitation and was happy she took it as we headed out the door.

 

“Oh, the humidity is something I’ll need to get used to,” she grumbled and let go of my arm to fumble in her purse for a pair of sunglasses. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she slipped them on.

 

She looked at me and whispered, “My eyes look a little red too.”

 

We both laughed over her remark as we walked towards Congress. She slipped her arm into mine once again and we walked in a comfortable silence.

 

“Thank you for the ride last night,” she murmured eventually. “And the ibuprofen.”

 

“Anytime,” I said and led us into my condo building. I felt her shock as she saw me press the top floor button after waving an access key fob at the sensor. As the doors opened, I motioned her inside to my condo.

 

She looked around and let out a low whistle. “Wow, this is gorgeous!” she squealed and ran towards the windows. “Can you see all around?”

 

I laughed, “Yeah, you sure can. Hey, can I get you some coffee? I can have one of the local places bring some breakfast if you’d like.”

 

“Coffee would be great,” she said and went to sit on the huge sectional. “I had an order of toast earlier this morning.”

 

I handed her a mug and sat down.

 

“Mmm, this is great, thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome, darlin’. I must say, I am still taken back that you’re not even the least bit of shocked at me given all you know now.” I said.

 

She looked up at me and pointed to her temple. “You’ve still got your shades on. Let’s see ‘em.”

 

Curiosity radiated out of her as I slowly slid them off and looked her. She gasped but it wasn’t out of fear. Rather, I could tell she was taken by them and it was borderline lustful. Instead of embarrassing her by calling her out on it, I just winked and set the shades down on the table.

 

“So are you happy now going back to your natural diet?” she asked curiously.

 

“Yeah when I went back, I started out by feeding on criminals and such,” I said.

 

“And now? You’re not feeding on unsuspecting innocent people, are you?”

 

All of a sudden I felt like I was under interrogation which I was surprised to find made me a bit nervous. “Peter and I have a side business that plays into our feeding preferences.”

 

I watched as she tried to comprehend what I was saying.

 

“Huh? You sound like some sort of hit man or something,” she said and laughed.

 

I suddenly found a speck of dust on the table very interesting. I waited for her to put two and two together to get four. I was more than expecting her to run towards the elevator screaming when she did but instead, I could feel she was thinking hard about something. “Wait, you are?” There was hope in that question.

 

I slowly looked up and nodded, feeling slightly unnerved with this conversation.

 

She took a sip of coffee and closed her eyes for a brief minute and then looked at me.

 

“You want to know why I am not afraid of you, Jasper?” she asked quietly. “It isn’t just because I have never blamed you,” she blurted out before I could answer her. “I mean, that is part of it but it isn’t the full reason. You destroyed James back in Phoenix and that means a lot to me.” She took a gulp of coffee and stood up, walking towards the windows. I could feel there was trepidation coming off her and knew she wanted to talk. “Back in Forks when I was Edwards’ girlfriend, he always talked about how vampires are monsters like James. He also called himself a monster as well. When we broke up, he said we just weren’t compatible that he’d always be a danger to me and that I should just go on with my life.” She looked at the scar on her wrist and traced her fingers on the crescent marks. “I tried hard to move on and lead a normal life. I got married and thought I’d have a happy future but that wasn’t the case.” Sadness and anger started to pour off of her and she walked slowly back to the couch setting the mug on the table in front of her. I watched as she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them as if to hold herself together.

 

“You see, while some of your kind believes they are no better than monsters and I am sure that is true in some cases, I was married to a human one. I learned that monsters come in all shapes, sizes and species.”

 

I wanted to comfort her in some way but wasn’t sure if I should use my gift so I patted her hand gently to let her know I was here for her.

 

“Thank you. Do you mind being the friendly bartender now?” she smiled but there was no humor in her. “I’ve kept a lot of this in and well, some of it I could never tell anybody.”

 

“Talk to me,” I replied. “Mi casa, es su casa.”

 

“Well, Dan as he liked to be called, Daniel was the first... first man I was with and I thought we were in love. He made me feel special, wanted and needed. He was the first human that made me feel like I was worth it.” She looked at me pointedly and squeezed my hand. I nodded knowing we were thinking back to years ago in Phoenix when I told her the same thing.

 

“Things were great in the beginning. Our parents loved that we were together and we got married before my junior year of college. Then things just seemed to change overnight. He became demanding and bought me clothes he thought I should wear and if I didn’t, he’d get mad at me. He wanted me to cut my hair so I did. If I didn’t do what he’d want, he’d start spouting off insults. He’d say things purposely to hurt me.” She paused and to look out the window and I could feel she was trying to get her emotions under control.

 

“Hold on,” I said and grabbed her empty mug.  “I’ll give you a minute while I get you a refill.” I went to the kitchen at a human speed to give her some privacy as I got her a glass of water as well as a refill of coffee.

 

I felt her appreciation when I returned. “It was never ending. One minute he’s loving and sweet and the next he’d attack me with his words. If I ever complained, he scoffed at me and said I wasn’t being beaten or anything and I should be _grateful_ ,” she spat the word, anger swirling in her. “He knew about Edward, or rather a human version of him, and every opportunity he got he would use my insecurities against me. It was a constant cycle of vicious comments and verbal lashings. He knew the words hurt as much as a physical blow would and each time he did that, I felt like I was left with yet another emotional wound. It wasn’t just the crap he spewed at me, either. He lied and cheated on me constantly and then he’d throw it back in my face because somehow it was my fault; I was wasn’t good enough or woman enough for him. It went on for a couple more years before I finally got tired of it all. I left him and we’re in the midst of a divorce which is why I’m trying to start a new life here.”

 

“I’m sorry darlin’,” I said and held her hand between mine and sent her a small dose of my emotions. “I really am.”

 

“I know, I can feel it,” she said, a small but genuine smile on her face. “There were times, when I knew he was out gallivanting with women, that I wished I could find one of those monstrous vampires and point them in his direction. Hell, there were moments, when I was at my worst, that I wished a vampire would find me and end my misery. He nearly broke me and I hated myself for being that way, for having thoughts like that but I was so lost.”

 

“Well you’re trying to make a new start. That’s sayin’ something.”

 

“It is but now that I’ve left him and we no longer live in the same state he keeps on talking about how much he misses me, how he’s sorry, that we can work things out, stay friends and a ton of other crap. We live in neighboring states but he’s too close to me right now. That’s why I’m trying to move here. I know it’s far and there is little chance that he’ll want to come out here.” She took a deep breath and once again looked at me with that sad smile of hers. “He told me he found his soul mate and yet he’s still harassing me, telling me how much he misses me and shit like that. It’s like everything is just a  mindfuck with him,” she paused and I could feel a sense of courage, guilt and determination coming off her as she took a deep breath.  “I do have a confession, I had heard that there was someone who could help me out here in Austin which was why I came out as well.”

 

I looked at her and analyzed her words. “So you comin’ to that bar was planned?”

 

“No... not really.” She sighed and leaned back on the couch. “I was out with a friend of mine one night at a nightclub. Well, as you know with drinking, sometimes people get loud and say more than they should. I was in the restroom and a couple chicks were in there talking about how one of them had their husband ‘taken care of’ because he had a gambled all their life savings away and and suggested that she pay off their debt with her body. I tried not to listen but it was just too intriguing, you know? All I got was it was someone they hired out here, in a downtown club that started with a ‘Z’. So I decided maybe I could also kill two birds with one stone.”

 

There was a look of desperation in her eyes and I didn’t think twice as I reached over and pulled her gently in a hug. “Come on in, I feel better conducting business in my office,” I said, standing up and holding my hand out to her. Together we walked to my secured office. “I cannot confirm what you heard given our need to protect our clients but I think you already know the answer to that. Come on, sit down and talk to me,” I said and gestured to the nearby couch before I turned on the computer anticipating Peter’s report at any time.

 

She nodded and smiled while she sent me her understanding. “Wow, this is a high-tech room,” she said and let out a low whistle before sitting on the couch. “After hearing what I heard, I started to apply for jobs out here. I figured I could also find a start out here well, in case my search was unsuccessful.”

 

“I meant to ask, what are you interviewing for?”

 

“I’m a software engineer and I’ve applied to a few places here. I interviewed north of here and should find out hopefully by tomorrow but regardless, I have decided I want to live here.”

 

“If you don’t get this job, what would you do?” I asked.

 

“If I have to be absolutely honest, even if I don’t get the a job right away out here, I am almost positive I will move regardless and then take my time finding something I have a trust fund from Renee and Phil that will help me for a bit. They died in a plane crash a few years back.” She paused for a minute, a deep yearning almost swallowing up the hatred she had of that man.  “Besides, in case he somehow had means to follow or spy on me, I needed to show I was serious about starting a new life. Without him. The divorce isn’t final yet so regardless, he’d know if I moved. I just needed a rouse at the very least.”

 

“My condolences for your loss,” I said and patted her shoulder.

 

“Thanks, it was icy and well...”  She looked up at me and cleared her throat. “If we’re talking business, how much?”

 

I assessed her emotions and didn’t find anything outside the norm. “We normally start at $10K but since I know you how about 5?” I would have done it for free if she was in dire straits.

 

“Yeah I can do that but I’d like to make a request,” I arched an eyebrow in silent question and she continued. “I want you to do it, I don’t doubt your brother’s talent but I know you and well, this is sort of personal. Is that alright?”

 

I nodded.

 

She smiled and I could see relief in her face. “Perfect. How do you want it?”

 

I gave her the account information and watched as she grabbed her phone. She was setting it up to transfer her funds and within fifteen minutes, the money was in my account and I put her soon to be ex husband on my calendar.

 

“Now that the dirty stuff is over with, how are you doing? I mean really?” she asked sincerely.

 

We spent the rest of the morning talking. I received Peter’s report and then I walked us down to Sixth Street that afternoon and found a Tex-Mex restaurant for her. We talked more about our past and I could feel that we were fast becoming close friends. As I walked her back to her hotel, she said that she’d like to hang out once she moved out here and I agreed, thinking that it would be nice to get to know her.

 

 

**_Three weeks later -_ **

 

I was on my way to Seattle. I knew she wanted that bullshit taken care of as quickly as possible. We had kept in touch after she had gone back to Oregon to pack and so I knew that he had become more persistent in contacting her and even begged her to come back to him. She was clearly agitated so I ended up moving some things around and pushed the date up. Peter and I got a hold of Garrett to take a my place on a different job so I could get her problem taken care of once and for all.

 

As soon as I got my rental car, I headed towards Bellevue where I had a hotel for the night. After checking in, I climbed up to the roof of the hotel and ran across a couple rooftops until I found Dan’s office building. I hid in the darkness where I was able to observe his every move. He was on the phone with a woman he was living with, telling her how he had a late night meeting at work. Deceit rolled off of him and I could see he was sending text messages to another person finalizing dinner plans. This man was slick, just as Bella had said. He was playing everybody. I fought down a growl from breaking out when I saw him send an email to Bella’s account. Instead of begging her to reconcile, he was pulling past memories that must have meant something to them and throwing them back in her face.

 

I followed him as he left the office and headed to the now empty parking lot. I followed as he drove off to a restaurant a few miles down the road and was pleased when he ended up parking on a street corner and walking to the restaurant. It didn’t take much for me to throw a rock at the street light, busting the bulbs and leaving the street very dark. Climbing under the car, I squeezed the brake lines so hard that they almost disintegrated in my hands. If forensics tests were conducted later, it would just show that the brake lines were old and corroded from the weather. A couple of hours later, he was back and staggering slightly. I could smell the alcohol coursing through his body and guessed he was not quite legally intoxicated but he was definitely impaired. I sent him confusion and dizziness and knew when mixed with his already impaired body, he would feel even more drunk.  He didn’t put up a fight when I pounced on him and dragged him further into the dark, dead-end street. Grabbing his arm, I flung him like a rag doll into a concrete wall and heard the crunch as his shoulder shattered on impact.

 

His howls of pain did nothing but make the venom pool in my mouth. I slowly stalked him as his eyes darted around, clouded from alcohol, pain, and my manipulation. He was blubbering as he held onto his shoulder still trying to figure out what was going on. Just as I would have appeared in front of his face, I pushed him against the wall once again. I kept my strength in check, not wanting to pulverize him. I wanted to have a little fun.

 

“Dan,” I whispered out in a taunting tone.

 

“What? H-hey who is th-there?” he stuttered as his head swivelled left and right. He was clutching his shoulder in pain and then turned towards the wall to puke.

 

Oops, too much dizziness. I toned down the dosage and continued to call out his name, ghosting from one direction to another. He was confused and disoriented as I continued to toy with him.

 

“I thought you liked games, Dan,” I whispered menacingly. “Don’t you like my games?”

 

He was blubbering again and pulled out his wallet. “H-here, take it! J-just leave me alone. I’ve got a wife and soon, a kid,” he cried out.

 

“I think you’re lying, Dan. She’s not your wife, is she?” I asked, my voice was a little louder than a whisper.

 

“Monica? She is my wife,” he choked out. “P-please don’t hurt her.”

 

“So I can hurt you instead?”

 

“Please!” he begged as he continued to look around. I tried not to get too sickened by the snot that leaked from his nose.

 

“Who is Monica, Dan?” I continued to taunt him. The odor of warm piss now flooded my senses.

 

I stepped out of the shadows just enough so he could see my silhouette. “Monica? What about Bella?”

 

“Bella?” he spat her name. “Did that slut put you to this?” He growled his words and I guess it was supposed to sound threatening but it just sounded like a tortured cat to me.

 

I growled back. “You will not speak of her in that way,” I demanded and then unleashed some of the emotions from Bella so many years ago when we went down to that dance studio to rescue her. He shrunk away into a ball as he continued to cry and beg for his life.

 

I grabbed his hair and yanked back exposing his pulsing blood vessel and licked his neck causing him to cry out even more. I laughed at him and just before I bit down, I whispered, “Bella says hi.”

 

I drained him quickly since his howls were bound to have people coming into the area. I left just enough blood so that it would show he had been drinking if they needed to do a forensics report and made sure no traces of venom lingered. He was a fun kill but I wasn’t done yet.  I strapped him into his car and drove off, jumping away just as he hit the wall. The car exploded on impact, turning into a fiery ball, and I quickly snapped a picture of it before running back towards the hotel.

 

Even though I had a partial meal, I felt sated as I climbed back from the roof of the hotel and into my room.

 

When I got there, I quickly stripped off my clothes and jumped into the shower, ridding the stench of Dan from my senses. It wasn’t typical for me to get so personally involved like that. Our targets were normally seen as our meals and I preferred to keep things impersonal, even when our clients showed us their more amorous side. Tonight was supposed to be no different but I found myself remembering Bella’s words about how she wished the monsters would get her. That was when it became personal for me; I taunted him and sent him her pain from years ago. I wanted to hurt him for what he did to her. She was a friend and one that trusted me without hesitation.

 

I quickly dried off and sat on the bed as I opened my laptop and sent my report to Peter. I was sending an email in my secured account to Bella along with the photo when my phone rang.

 

“Interesting report, bro,” Peter drawled.

 

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

 

“The fact that you stated how you taunted him. Jasper, is this Bella chick someone you fucked?”

 

“No! She was Eddie’s girlfriend when we were in Forks. They never really trusted me around her. I was ‘too new’ in their diet,” I sneered.

 

“So what gives? Is she someone you wanna fuck?”

 

Leave it to my brother to always assume that my dick ruled every action like his. “She was the only one that ever trusted me in the short time we knew each other,” I said quietly.

 

“Oh,” he said and paused for a second. “Sorry, man. If it is any consolation, I often forget that part of you because you’re so much happier these days.”

 

“Yeah thanks,” I replied, knowing his crassness was just his way of showing he cared. “Hey, I’m gonna get the plane ready for an early morning take off, see you tomorrow.”

 

I tossed the phone into my bag and noticed I received an email from Bella in my personal account.

 

_Jasper -_

_Thank you. I’ll sleep well tonight knowing you’ve kept the monster away._

_Movers picked up my stuff today and I’m actually on the road to Austin. See you soon?_

_Your friend,_

_Bella_

 

The simple words ‘your friend’ made me smile because I did consider her a friend, not just a human acquaintance but a real friend that I could talk to and knew she wouldn’t judge me for my species.

_Bella -_

_You’re welcome, it was my pleasure._

_You be careful driving out here. Call me if you need anything._

_We’ll celebrate when you get here._

_Your friend,_

_Jasper_

I packed up my things and left the hotel, deciding to make a trip out to Forks in the middle of the night before I left in the morning. As I rounded up the driveway to the old home, I expected some negative emotions from the bittersweet memories of so many decades but there was none. I walked into the house and saw the cloth covered furniture and went to the kitchen seeing the sliding door that was shattered the last time I was here. All evidence of that impromptu fight Edward and I had was gone. I walked around the house with a sense of fondness over a life that seemed so long ago. This was my chance at complete closure as I shut the door one last time and sped back to Seattle.

 

When I got back to my condo that afternoon, Peter was waiting for me with a glass of whiskey in his hand. We both sniffed our drinks as we sat in the office and revisited our schedule. Our calendar was filling for the year and we were actually on the verge of overfeeding several times even when we took Garrett into consideration.

 

“What should we do? We’re booked for the rest of the year. Even with Garrett helpin’ us out, we’re on a verge of being eternally sloshy. Thank fuck we don’t gain weight,” he muttered.

 

“I know, never would have thought our business would be so lucrative. Don’t even get me started on referrals. I never knew humans could be so hateful towards one another,” I replied.

 

“What about Felix? He can be the door person on nights you’re away and I’ll man the bar,” he suggested as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “You know, it is too fuckin’ bad we can’t drink this shit cuz it smells heavenly.”

 

“Yeah, I don’t want to puke that shit up either,” I said with a shudder as I pulled up Felix’s email. “I’ll ask Felix if he’d like to moonlight for a week. I would have preferred Demetri but he’s too busy with his newborn fiancee, Gianna.”

 

“Yeah but it was about damn time he changed her. Poor girl had been givin’ him the eye for as long as I she worked there.”

 

“Yeah, which reminds me, their wedding celebration is in two months and we’re both invited so we’ll need to close the club or somethin’ if we’re both gone,” I suggested.

 

“What about your friend?” The one that dated the boy? Isn’t she movin’ out here?”

 

“I don’t know, maybe if she can handle managing for a long weekend. She was an assistant manager at a coffee shop while she went to college so she might. I’ll ask. Get Garrett to come out for the month so they have a chance to meet as well. He can stay here, there’s plenty of room where we won’t crowd each other. I’ll see if she can handle working at a busy club and if she’d be interested in filling in while we’re away. Either way, we’ll make it work.”

 

We bullshitted for a while before we both headed to the bar so that we could stock up before we opened for the night. I quickly sent a text to Bella asking if she’d be interested in helping us manage the bar while we’re away on our assignments. It was an hour later before she responded. She apologized profusely for taking so long because she was driving at the time. She said she had experience while in college working as a store manager at a busy coffee shop but she’d wouldn’t mind filling in if we helped her get acclimated first.

 

Peter and I talked it over quickly and agreed that we could give it a shot. We hoped that maybe the situation would be similar to Gianna when she was human. That maybe she’d still want to be immortal one day like us, I had told Peter how she had wanted it before with Edward. We could only hope for the best but either way, my brother and I were happy to know that we had someone else that we could trust with our businesses. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**_Thirteen months later -_ **

 

“Jasper, the lead singer of the band mentioned that he has been getting a string of stalkers,” Bella whispered to me during the sound check. “They have gotten worse over the past months, somebody has been crank calling his girlfriend and sending threatening letters to their house. He thinks it might be one of the many fans that follow them when they tour. I didn’t pry but something must have given him that idea.”

 

“Alright, I’ll have G work the bar tonight and I’ll mingle amongst the crowd to see if I can catch any hint of deviousness. Does he know about the side business?” I asked.

 

“I don’t think so, I just mentioned that you’ve had military training and you might be able to help so don’t be surprised if he talks to you after they’re done with practice.”

 

“Thanks, with the tickets sold tonight, I think we’ll have another packed house,” I mentioned and she nodded as we sat watching the band. “Garrett and Peter just arrived, they’re in the back.”

 

She nodded and whispered a greeting to both of them knowing that they would hear.

 

It had been a year since she arrived in Austin and became the manager of Zombie. Our side business was booming and she helped us tremendously by making sure the club ran smoothly while we were out on assignment. She was not only a good manager but she got along with my brother and Garrett.  It wasn’t a surprise to see the four of us hang out, even on Mondays when the club was closed.

 

Bella and I quickly become the best of friends when she moved out here. We both found it easy to talk and just enjoy each other’s company. Lately, our friendship had been slowly transitioning though to something more meaningful to us both.

 

Last month, the two of us traveled to Volterra so she could meet the leaders. Both Felix and Heidi had met her during their visits to Austin and word got around that the brothers were interested in meeting her as well. It was during that visit that Marcus informed us that we had a really strong bond with each other. The brothers asked Bella her intentions since she knew our secret and she surprised me by asking me right there if I’d be willing to change her. I didn’t hesitate with my answer since we both felt the beginnings of a more romantic relationship. The kings agreed that I change her and because they trusted me, there wasn’t a time-table set. It was an unspoken understanding that they knew I’d keep my word and it would be done.

 

My attention was drawn to Peter and Garrett as they came out of the back office and sat down next to us to watch the band practice. I explained to them what Bella had told me about their lead singer’s plight and they both agreed to pay special attention to the crowd and their body language tonight.

 

“I’ll back you up at the bar, G,” Bella said after I was done with my explanation. “That way, when you have that assignment at midnight, I can smoothly take over.”

 

“Sounds good, B. You’re doing really good as a bartender now,” Garrett replied with a smile. He liked Bella from the very beginning and even asked her to the movies but as it turned out, as they got to know each other, they became more like siblings than anything else. 

 

Bella grinned. “Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without y’all,” she drawled out and laughed. “Once I become a vampire and get my control, I’ll be able to spin the bottles and make a show out of it,” she added quietly.

 

All of us laughed, partly due to what she said and partly because we’ve all been teasing her that she’s picked up a slight drawl in her time here.

 

“Well, little lady, we’ll be more than happy to show you once you’ve gotten that control down,” Peter replied. He leaned over to Bella and whispered against her ear so the conversation wouldn’t be heard by the band who were heading our way, though Garret and I both could hear him clearly. “Hey, you remember that lady who showed up with the black eye? Well, she just wired some money late last night and I have scheduled a special meeting with her druggie husband at the end of the week.”

 

Bella reached over and grabbed his hand. “Thanks Peter, she was a neighbor of mine and I always thought she was hiding something whenever I saw her at the apartment complex. I am glad she stopped by the club a few nights ago when she did.”

 

“Yeah, I talked to her for a while when she stepped outside for a smoke. She said he always left his anger in places where it wasn’t easily seen. This was the first time he left a noticeable mark on her and she was fucking terrified.”

 

“Oh no!” she exclaimed in a whisper shout, grasping her hand over Peter’s. “What about her kids? Is she out of the apartment?”

 

“Yeah, she took them and is temporarily staying at a hotel. Since school is out, she said she let it be known to friends and family that she was taking the kids on a road trip to visit her mother out in Colorado Springs. She was hoping that something can be done soon while she was out of town so she wouldn’t be implicated. She doubts he’ll do anything like follow her, at least, not right away which is why she wanted to get the situation expedited.”

 

At that point, the lead singer came to our table and introduced the four of us to his band. As the band walked away outside to have a smoke, he quickly sat down and talked to us about his stalker situation. He also admitted that he had heard, through word of mouth, that there was _someone_ who hung out at Zombie that would be able to permanently take care of his situation. He explained that his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child and the stress of knowing about these letters from an ‘overzealous’ fan was worrying the two of them. He tried to get the police involved but they weren’t willing to do much since there was nothing to go by.

 

I asked him what he meant by that and he speculated that each letter was mailed in seemingly random spots but he knew that they were postmarked from towns that were near the tour stops. He also mentioned that some of the letters he had seen included details on his outfits or the songs played. He was scared and I sent him a very low dosage of reassurance as I explained that the four of us acted as messengers to the contact he was interested in getting a hold of. We would pass the word along to see if his situation could be resolved and got his personal email address and promised to forward that over. Peter jumped in and mentioned that if the contact was interested in this job, they would get a hold of him as quickly as possible. That was the standard speech we have been using of late for our potential clients so we could add a layer of anonymity. He thanked us profusely and as soon as the band left, Peter locked the doors so we wouldn’t be interrupted.

 

I pulled out my laptop to re-arrange the assignments now that Peter had a fast-track job for the end of the week. Both our businesses were still booming, especially the side business, and we haven’t had to go out and hunt on our own yet because our schedule was always booked. We had all been paid well for each of our meals which always made us laugh. It had been so busy that Garrett had taken permanent residence here in Texas now. We still required some Volturi members to come out and assist when we were overbooked, but they were always happy and willing to visit and participate.

 

“Bella,” I looked up at her and motioned for her to come over. I showed her the calendar for the next few months and where there were gaps in the schedule in case she wanted to do her change then. During my absence as I got her acclimated to the vampire life and then past her newborn stage, Garrett was going to take over along with Demetri and Gianna. The plan was that after a couple months here, we were going to go to Volterra so she could acclimate with other vampires and also be trained to fight. That was something she said she wanted to learn after meeting some of the guards.

 

She looked over my shoulder before pointing to the month of August. “How about then? That is almost two months from now. That will give me enough time to finalize things and get them in order,” she replied. She was nervous but excited at the same time.

 

“That would work, you sure about this?” I asked.

 

She nodded and looked first at me and then to Peter and Garrett. “Yeah, you’ve been more than family to me the past year and I have never felt more welcomed. All three of you have been genuine and I appreciate that you never pretended to be something you weren’t.” I watched as she went up to hug Garrett and then Peter before she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek.

 

“Oh, so tonight there is supposed to be a huge bachelorette party coming in. They called to reserve a couple large tables near the stage,” she mentioned after sitting back down. “I think we can get them seated in Pam’s area since she seems to do a bang-up job with the larger parties.”

 

“Yeah, then it is a good thing we’ll have two bartenders tonight,” Garrett replied. “Peter, might get lucky tonight.” Garrett slapped Peter’s shoulders and laughed.

 

We all laughed as Peter straightened up and flexed his muscles. He was definitely enjoying his bachelorhood.

 

“I can’t do too much, I’ve got to be in Montana for the teacher that uses his students to run drugs for him. I’ve to get there before school starts in the morning so as soon as the club closes, I’m heading to the airport,” he mentioned. I could feel he was disappointed in not being able to hook up tonight.

 

“Sounds good to me,” I said and nodded. “We’ll close up shop.” I continued to work on my computer answering emails and updating our schedules. “Hey, it looks like while Bella and I are busy in August, the Kings might make an appearance.”

 

“No shit? They want in on the schedule?” Peter asked and I showed him the email.

 

“Sure looks like it,” I replied. “They were curious when Bella and I were there last month and I am also sure they want to check in on the status of things while they’re here.” I looked at Bella and she nodded. “Caius says in his email that the plan is for them to make an appearance at the Cullens first before they come down here.”

 

“The Cullens won’t ask about the business, will they?” Bella asked with concern. During our visit to Volterra, Bella and the three Volturi Kings connected, she considered them her uncles while they in turn doted after her and really made her feel welcome.

 

I pulled her chair closer to me and held her hand. “That is why they want to visit them first. With Caius’ ability, he’ll be able to keep Edward and Alice at bay.”

 

It was only known in inner circles that Caius had a gift. He was able to camouflage his mind from others, producing false feelings and thoughts. It was something that he was even able to fool Aro for a long time, so long that even Carlisle wasn’t aware of the gift. This would give him an advantage while visiting the Cullens so our business association would not be revealed.

 

“So he’ll feed false information to them to placate them?” she asked.

 

I nodded. “Yes, he’ll most likely take charge of the visit and being that he has a reputation of being a hard ass, I’m sure the duo won’t search too much. He’ll also keep his innermost thoughts to himself while feeding them false ‘official’ dealings that would certainly bore or disgust the Cullens.”

 

“Good, we don’t need them meddling,” she said emphatically. “Last thing we need is for them to all come down here and butt into our lives.”

 

Peter laughed loud. “Oh fuck no! I’ll work on some remote assignments if that were the case. We don’t need to hear them talk about morals and stuff like that.”

 

“Yeah, as much as I respect Carlisle, I don’t think we’d see eye to eye on our business dealings and we don’t need to be treated like disobedient children either,” Garrett said, shaking his head. 

 

“Alright, so we’ll get the lowdown after they come out here. The two of us will be at the Dripping Springs house so we’ll figure out if we all meet there or elsewhere,” I said and looked at Bella. “A lot of this is up in the air because we won’t know what your feeding schedule will be like.”

 

“No, I understand,” she said with a small smile. “I could be crazy Bella or a calm one. I just hope I’ll be able to be a part of the team eventually.”

 

“Jasper, I think we’ve created ourselves a criminal here,” Peter drawled out before reaching over and ruffling her hair.

 

“Hey, for the record, I think I had criminal tendencies before I met y’all,” she said and stuck her tongue at him. “There were so many times that I would pass by the rat poison at the store and was close to buying some so I could mix it in _his_ coffee.”

 

I reached over and squeezed her hand. I knew that even though it had been over a year since I helped her get rid of her problem, she was still healing from the emotional turmoil that she had to deal with. It was that reason that our friendship was now slowly started to evolve into the beginnings of a romance. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to pursue a relationship, it was the fact that she felt so broken that she needed the time to move past and feel like herself once again. The two of us still haven’t been intimate sexually yet but our lust for each other continued to grow as well as a our feelings of love.

 

She patted my hand and sent her appreciation to me as well as her ever growing affection.

 

“Alright, let’s get to business.” I shut down the computer knowing some of the waitstaff were due to arrive in a few minutes.

 

 

**_Six months later -_ **

****

I took Bella’s hand and led her to the abandoned ancient catacombs that was in an alleyway. We arrived at Volterra a month ago and she was progressing wonderfully. Her control was really good and I figured within the next few months, I could take us back to Texas and we can slowly integrate her into the business.

 

“Okay Bella, I can feel you’re hungry, I’m going to go back out there and lure those men your way,” I whispered against her ear. I didn’t have to but I wanted to feel her close against me.

 

“The ones that were groping all those women?” she whispered back.

 

I nodded and tapped my ear as we both could hear the men were outside building now. I let her study her intended victims from afar. We could hear the feminine cries of ‘help’ coming from the alley way and I whispered to her that the women were absolutely frightened. There was desire coming from the men and it was the closest human equivalent to bloodlust. I drank in the emotions for a couple seconds.

 

“I’ll make it quick but remember, I’m thirsty too,” I said and kissed her temple.

 

She reached up and touched my face. “I’ll just take one. I fed four days ago,” she said proudly.

 

“Yes, you did and your control is still strong.” I smiled at her and gave her a quick peck on the lips before running back out of the catacombs and into the alleyway.

 

As I reached the two men, I could see they were roughly dragging two young females along the empty cobbled road. I sent lethargy to the four and as soon as they fell into a slumber, I quickly ran the females down the street to a lit section of the street that was across from a police station. I sat them on the bench. When I got back to the men, I carried both of them over my shoulder and ran back to where Bella was.

 

“Sorry, they got even more rough with the girls so I had to put them all asleep before I could take the women to a safer area,” I explained.

 

“Can you wake them up?” she asked quietly as I could feel her hunger growing. I nodded and sent them both a dose of what would almost feel like an adrenaline rush. We watched in the dark shadows as the men woke up and started to scramble about in confusion. I slowly sent them some fear and they started to shake and run around looking for an exit but not seeing one because it was so dark.

 

I was still holding her hand when I turned to her and gave her a slight nod.

 

Bella leaped at one of the men and tackled him to the ground as a snarl escaped her lips. The other man’s heart accelerated at the noise just as I reached him and pulled his head back. I bent down and drank as I watched Bella latch her mouth onto her victim’s neck and start drinking. Our growls filled the ancient stone room as we drank greedily. Since her change, I have had to go back to hunting and teach her to how to do it conspicuously. I also made sure she was well fed so that her odds of having bloodlust issues would be reduced.

 

She was quickly learning to hide in the shadows and lure her meals to her. It also didn’t hurt that she took some lessons from Heidi in the art of baiting for humans.

 

I kept in constant touch with Peter and Garrett who have been telling me that business was booming and we needed to consider another plane due to all the requests we were getting. Demetri and Gianna were doing great at the club. Demetri acted as a bouncer so it was usually Garrett and Peter behind the bar now. Gianna was the acting club manager and together with their rich European accent and charm, they had become popular amongst our regulars.

 

Bella sighed in relief as she finished draining the man and together we dragged the bodies out of the catacombs.

 

“I’ll get that,” Felix’s deep voice almost echoed in the quiet night.

 

“Thanks Felix, I didn’t know you were here,” Bella mentioned as she handed the body over to the Volturi Guard.

 

“Ah, Ms. Swan, this is one of my favorite hangouts and I like to roam the streets here even when I am not ready to feed yet,” he said pried what looked to be a manhole cover on the street. To humans that is what they assumed it would be but for us vampires, we knew that was an incinerator that is used to destroy our meals. It was something the Volturi installed in various cities around Volterra.

 

Felix and I tossed the bodies into the hole and then he closed it up. The three of us walked in a near human pace as we headed back to the castle. I knew that Bella hated to walk at such a slow speed but seeing how we both were, she had no choice but to follow. She wrapped her arm around me as we walked back.

 

“Are you going back to Texas soon?” Felix asked.

 

“Planning to within the next few months, why are you coming along?” I asked.

 

“I want to, I have some time off coming so yeah, if you two don’t mind a third wheel.”

 

Bella reached her free hand and grabbed Felix’s for a quick squeeze. “We don’t mind, would we, Jasper?”

 

I shook my head, “Fly with us, Garrett will need some wandering off time seeing how he’s been in one place nonstop for nearly a year now.”

 

“Sounds like a plan. Thanks guys.”

 

 

**_Three months later -_ **

 

We had been back in Texas a month now and Bella’s control has been continuously improving. All of us have been helping her with hunting since we’re only giving her the simpler assignments with one of us coming along to help her construct the crime scene. Since I was back on a normal rotation, I would go with her to hunt just to keep watch over her. She had a tendency to lose herself to her meal leaving her slightly disoriented after she was finished which wasn’t an unusual occurrence for young vampires. Garrett, Peter and I all made sure that she disposed of the body afterwards and we made sure she didn’t make too much noise that would alert nosy humans.

 

Lately, when she was sated of her thirst, we’d take her to one of our jobs so she could watch us in action especially how we planted the scene afterwards. I could feel she was intimidated because some of the assignments did require us to drain our victims just to the point of death, making sure they didn’t have venom and then ‘killing’ them through some other means - making it look like a suicide, fiery car crashes or a mugging gone bad. Those were things that she could be assigned to as she matured in her vampire years. In the meantime, she was an eager student and because each assignment presented an opportunity for her to learn, we held regular meetings, albeit informal ones, where we’d go over our week’s assignments.

 

As far as a romance, we were growing strong in that area. During her change, she lost a few of her memories and even though she knew we were dating, we still had to start back at square one. The trip back to Volterra provided opportunities to grow our relationship and we ended up marking each other during a trip to the French countryside. That was something I had never imagined would happen since it was never done before with my past relationships. 

 

Before we headed back to Texas, the Volturi announced that they were going to have a branch located in North America.  Immediately, Felix and Heidi both volunteered to relocate here. The Volturi ‘consulate’ was actually located in Denver but so far, Heidi and Felix haven’t found a suitable building yet there yet so one was being built. Until that was complete, they stayed out in Texas with us and frequently were added into the assignment rotation.

 

The Volturi were excited to have a Western Hemisphere branch to make sure the laws were followed. While I never questioned the kings and neither did the members of the guard, it was speculated that much of the reasoning behind it was to make sure certain covens were being watched, specifically, the Cullens. During the Royal visit when Bella was going through the early weeks of her new life, it was discovered that Edward had found a human girl as a soul mate. She knew about what the Cullens were and because of that, the Volturi wanted to make sure this time they adhered to the laws and not let a human slip by again.

 

It was debated to have the offices located in Texas but in the end, we figured once word got around that the Volturi had facilities in the States, the Cullens would either move further away from them or attempt to get into their good graces. I wasn’t sure how well received that would be but none of us wanted to take the chance that they show up here and interfere with our lives and our business. That piece was the past for Bella and me and we didn’t have any desire to confront them again.

 

As I held Bella up atop Mount Bonnell and we took in the the nighttime view of Austin, I couldn’t help but think back how this idea all started.  It was nothing more than a joke during a poker game that had now become a great business venture that was still growing strong. Word of mouth was a great way to get customers and our offshore accounts were flowing. Soon we would be adding a full fledged assassin into the team and all of us couldn’t wait.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you go, a 3 shot of Jasper. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to all who contributed to Fandom for Texas - it felt good to contribute to this one. 
> 
> XOXO sushi


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